Rubad Cardigan Welsh Corgis

WELCOME TO

Nancy and Dan Willoughby · Columbus, Ohio · (614) 430·8277

Founded in 1999

THE CARDIGAN BREED

Why would anyone want to own a Cardigan? I can only speak for myself, but without Cardigans, our household would be much too quiet! Cardigans are very entertaining dogs. Their sunny, bright personalities make them a pleasure to live with. However, they are a herding breed, and as such are active and intelligent. And yes, Cardigans do bark and shed. Cardigans love kids and thrive on their attentions. Cardigans were used on Welsh farms for general purpose farm work - herding and managing livestock, catching vermin, acting as a watchdog and as the child's companion. These traits can be seen in the modern Cardigan - companion, performance dog for agility or obedience, show champion, watchdog, therapy dog, or competitive herding dog.

PUPPY PLANS FOR 2012

Puppies were born Oct 23, 2011. Two live puppies were born and are both spoken for. Puppy Page for details.

FOSTER DOG AVAILABLE! Smaller sized Corgi Mix! See Puppy Page for details

HEALTH TESTING IN CARDIGANS

Are purebred dogs too inbred? Is that why there are so many health problems in dogs now-a-days? My feeling is that careful use of inbreeding and linebreeding will not necessarily result in unhealthy dogs, just as outcrossing on its own may not produce healthy dogs. The reason that so many dogs have health issues is complex, including that there are many environmental insults to dogs that didn't exist "back when...". Back yard breeders or puppy mills may not want to spend the money on health testing or breed dogs regardless of health issues. Show breeders may be more focused on winning in the show ring and don't concentrate as much effort on health or temperament. Most show breeders last only 5 years in the fancy before health problems discourage them, so the knowledge that they have gained is lost to those who replace them. Responsible breeding requires one to focus on many traits at once, which severely restricts the choice of breeding partners and may interfere with personal goals in making strides for show ring wins. It also requires a realistic attitude and the ability to move past heartbreaks. Even the most conscientious breeder cannot guarantee perfect health.

My own strategy has evolved into that of choosing dogs with certain health criteria, belonging to people whom I trust. I want to have as much information as possible about the parents, grandparents, siblings and offspring of these dogs. Producing a healthy puppy involves much more than just accumulating health certificates. Structural issues and health problems for which no tests exist can create as much or more heartache and expense for puppy owners as disease that can be tested for.

Please do ask whether your breeder performs health testing. This increases your chances of obtaining a healthy dog, whatever your venue. Just by asking, you will be contributing to an atmosphere that is more conducive to good breeding practices,and this will help improve all pure breeds moving into the future. Your breeder cannot breed only perfect dogs, but he or she should have well thought out reasons for decisions that are made on your behalf.

At a minimum, Cardigans should be tested for hip dysplasia (OFA or PennHip) and eye disease (CERF). Ideally, a complete thyroid panel should also be done. Other testing may include patellas (slipping knee cap), and elbow dysplasia. I am also adding cardiac exams, spinal Xrays and genetic testing as it becomes available. I am committed to obtaining health information on as many of our puppies as possible in order to establish a depth of pedigree for our line.

Recently, a genetic test for the autoimmune disease degenerative myelopathy has been made available, and though Cardigans have not had a high incidence of this disease (about 10% of the gene pool is likely "at risk"), this is a test I have added to my breeding program. If genetic testing were to be made available for most of the scourges of purebred dogs, then closed gene pools would become an asset rather than a liability. Many expensive and heartbreaking diseases of dogs could all but become a thing of the past. I dream of that day, and it is close at hand for many diseases.

ABOUT US
Rubad was founded in 1999 upon the acquisition of our first Cardigan, Ruby. I have trained dogs of various breeds in many venues, including obedience, Schutzhund (with my German Shepherd Dog), agility, herding and conformation. My dogs are always owner handled in every venue. Dogs have been an integral part of my life for over 25 years, and Cardigans have been my passion for 11+ years. I keep a 6000+ pedigree database of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi to keep track of my puppies as well as health and temperament. Always mindful that more dogs exist than homes, I breed only infrequently to perpetuate the breed when we are able to add a puppy that can live as a pet in our home or with a co-owner. I collaborate with Suzanne Geisler of Kaos Cardigans to allow me to breed more often, while still allowing every Rubad and Kaos breeding dog to live in a home as a pet. When I breed a litter, I consider that my puppy buyers and I are "in it together". I make decisions that will impact not just myself, but as many as 9 or 10 other families. So, in balancing show looks, health and temperament, I try to choose the least risk for temperament first, then health as a close second, with show wins as icing on the cake. As a responsible breeder, I consider puppies produced at Rubad to be my responsibility for life. Because I feel so strongly about that, I offer a full refund upon the return of any dog that I breed for the entirity of that dog's life.

I am a member of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America, Columbus All Breed Training Club and a contributing member of CardiCommentary International, a website promoting information about the Cardigan breed (see links at the bottom of the page).

I am always happy to discuss Cardigans with anyone who would like to learn more about the breed. Call us at 614-256-7686 or email danwilldn @ aol.com (remove spaces).

OUR DOGS

CARDIGAN LINKS

Kaos Kennels Website, our kennel partner · GO-SHOW-WIN Website, Expert Show Dog Handling Instruction! · CardiCommentary International · Intervertebral Disk Disease Articles · Homestretch Hounds, our favorite rescue charity · A Buyer's Perspective on Genetic Disease

Website design by Kate Roberson
www.origamicorgi.com